The report used criteria including home prices, median income, year-over-year improvement in income and unemployment rates to determine the best labor market in the country.

Iowa came in first in home-to-income ratio, tied for first in unemployment and ranked 30th for income. Rankings used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau's American Community Survey.

Two Growing Job Markets

The central Iowa college town of Ames, home to Iowa State University, is known as an ag-tech and animal health research hub, Ames is also home to finance software developer, Workiva, among the top 10 technology companies to work for according to Fortune magazine.

Iowa’s capital and largest city, Des Moines, is known as an insurance leader with a growing startup and tech community, Des Moines ranked as one of the fastest-growing cities in the Midwest in 2017.

Great jobs and affordable housing are available across the state. Whether you’re looking to live in a warehouse loft above restaurants, or in an historic two-story house right off main street, Iowa’s bustling cities and vibrant small towns are welcoming and offer a great quality of life.